Neill



(No Model.)

G. W. NEILL.

PIANO DAMPER ATTAGHMENT. No. 291,529. Patented Jan. 8, 1884.

Inventor N4 PETERS PhckmLillwgrlphw. Washingflm. 04 c UNITED STATESGEORGE WASHINGTON NEILL,

PATENT ()EErcEo OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

PIANO-DAM PER ATTACHMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 291,529, dated January8, 1884.

Application filed June :27, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE WAsHrNcrou NEILL, of Boston, in the county ofSuffolk, of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Piano-Forte Actions or Damper AttachmentsTherefor; and I do hereby declare the same to be described in thefollowing specification and represented in the accompanying drawings, ofwhich- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a piano key and damper, and theoperative lever of the latter as provided with my invention, the natureof which is defined in the claim hereinafter presented.

In Fig. 1 the parts are shown in the positions they have when the damperis down upon the string; but in Fig. 2, which is a view similar to thatof Fig. 1, the damper is exhib ited as held in a raised position bymeans of the retainer, to be hereinafter described, the key being shownas fallen back upon its rest.

The object of my invention is to support the damper in a raised positionrelatively to its string, in order that there may be a prolongation ofthe sound emitted by the string, or more or less vibration of suchstring, immediately after the string may have been struck by the hammerof the action and such hammer may have fallen back upon its rest. Thedevice is independent of the usual pedal and mechanism for raising allthe dampers at once off the strings, and is to effect the elevation ofone or more of them, as circumstances may require.

In the drawings, A denotes the key 5 B, the damper, and O the operativelever of such damper, the damper-rod a at its lower part being pivotedto the lever, and such lever being projected over and upon the key inmanner as represented. The fulcrum of such lever is shown at b. Arrangedover the lever is the retainer D, which is a bar wedge-shaped orotherwise properly formed in transverse section. It extends along overeach of the damper-levers, and at each of its ends and at its middle issupported by an arm, 0. By means of such arms it is movable in a shortare of a circle, and between two stationary stops, (1 and 0, arranged asrepresented. The movemcntupward of such retainer is to be effected by apedal suitably connected with one or each of the said arms, and arrangedin a convenient position for a player on the piano to operate it (thesaid pedal) by his foot. Extending from the j oint-piece d of thedamper-rod toward the retainer is a cushioned projection, E, shaped asshown.

I am aware that in apiano the several damperrods or their joint-pieceshave been provided with laterally-projecting tongues to opcrate with aseries of elastic stops attached to a seat or bar provided with means ofmoving it toward and in a direction from the said rods or jointpieces,such being as represented and described in the United States Patent No.24:1,980. It will be seen that my improvement differs from such,inasmuch as I use no series of elastic stops of rubber applied to amovable bar or seat, but have a single bar, D, which I term theretainer, such bar being movablein the arc of a circle between twostops, so as when forced upward against the upper stop it will becarried under any one or more of the cushioned projections E of thedampers, that may be up or raised off the strings, and will while upprevent such dampers from falling upon their strings. At the same timeit will allow of the other dampers being operated by their keys. IVhendropped to its lowermost position, the retainer will allow of the fallof the dampers or their rise and fall without obstruction from it.

I am also aware that in a piano-forte-damper action a single bar hasbeen arranged transverse the line of the dampers, and to engage withprojections on the damper-levers.

\Vhat I claim is- The combination of one or more dampers, B, theirlevers O, rods a, and the projections E, placed on said rods a, with thetransverse wedge-shaped bar or retainer D, and its supporting-arms c andstops (Z and e, as set forth.

GEQBGE IVASIIINGTON NEILL.

Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY, E. B. PRATT.

